Manchin a leading indicator on guns

When West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin talks about revisiting the gun control debate, it’s a sign of just how much the ground has shifted since the Connecticut elementary school shootings.

Manchin didn’t actually say much Monday other than calling for a “move beyond rhetoric” -- and he declined to say what specific restrictions he would support -- but he didn’t have to.

As the owner of an “A” rating from the National Rifle Association – he got a standing ovation at the 2011 NRA annual meeting -- a lifetime NRA member and a senator from one of the most pro-gun states in the nation – Manchin’s remarks represent a significant turn of the screw.